Eric Low Siak Meng
Encyclopedia
Eric Low Siak Meng is a Singaporean Chinese
politician
and a member of the People's Action Party
(PAP), the dominant ruling party
of the politics of Singapore
. He is also a general manager
. He contested the Hougang Single Member Constituency
(Hougang SMC) in both the 2001 Singapore general election
and the 2006 general election
, losing both times.
currently held by the opposition of Singapore, which has a dominant-party system
. Though the PAP has a firm hold over the rest of the nation, and currently holds 82 of 84 seats in the Parliament of Singapore
, Hougang SMC has been consistently held by the opposition since the 1991 general elections
.
Senior Minister
Goh Chok Tong
was tasked with the "special assignment" of helping Eric Low win Hougang in the 2006 general elections, along with Sitoh Yih Pin
, the PAP candidate for opposition-held Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency
. Low and Sitoh were promised more latitude in the Parliament and freedom from being subjected to the party whip
if he won Hougang SMC. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/198700/1/.html Despite this boost from the ruling party, Low still failed to secure a win in the general election.
Singaporean Chinese
Singaporean Chinese may refer to:* Chinese Singaporean, the citizens or residents of Singapore who are of Chinese ancestry* Singaporean Mandarin, the dialect of Mandarin Chinese spoken in Singapore...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and a member of the People's Action Party
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
(PAP), the dominant ruling party
Ruling party
The ruling party or governing party in a parliamentary system is the political party or coalition of the majority in parliament. Within a parliamentary system, the majority in the legislature also controls the executive branch of government, thus leaving no possibility of dueling parties...
of the politics of Singapore
Politics of Singapore
The politics of Singapore takes the form of a parliamentary republic whereby the President of Singapore is the head of state, the Prime Minister of Singapore is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the cabinet. Cabinet has the general direction and...
. He is also a general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
. He contested the Hougang Single Member Constituency
Hougang Single Member Constituency
Hougang Single Member Constituency is a Single Member Constituency whose borders roughly enclose the town of Hougang, located in the north-eastern area of Singapore. The boundary includes a portion of Hougang and is an opposition held seat with its Member of Parliament the Workers' Party's Yaw...
(Hougang SMC) in both the 2001 Singapore general election
Singapore general election, 2001
The Singapore parliamentary general elections of 2001 were held on 3 November. The People's Action Party, the incumbent ruling party, won 82 out of 84 seats in the election, including 55 walkovers...
and the 2006 general election
Singapore general election, 2006
The 2006 Singapore parliamentary general election was held on 6 May 2006. 1.22 million out of the 2.16 million eligible Singaporeans voted for Members of Parliament and elected their next government. The People's Action Party , in its first election under Lee Hsien Loong, won 66.6% of the overall...
, losing both times.
As PAP candidate for Hougang
Hougang SMC is one of the only two Singaporean constituenciesConstituencies of Singapore
Constituencies in Singapore are electoral divisions which may be represented by single or multiple seats in the Parliament of Singapore. Constituencies are classified as either single member or group representation constituencies...
currently held by the opposition of Singapore, which has a dominant-party system
Dominant-party system
A dominant-party system, or one-party dominant system, is a system where there is "a category of parties/political organizations that have successively won election victories and whose future defeat cannot be envisaged or is unlikely for the foreseeable future." A wide range of parties have been...
. Though the PAP has a firm hold over the rest of the nation, and currently holds 82 of 84 seats in the Parliament of Singapore
Parliament of Singapore
The Parliament of the Republic of Singapore and the President jointly make up the legislature of Singapore. Parliament is unicameral and is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected, as well as Non-constituency Members of Parliament and Nominated Members of Parliament who are appointed...
, Hougang SMC has been consistently held by the opposition since the 1991 general elections
Singaporean general election, 1991
General elections were held in Singapore on 31 August 1991. The result was a victory for the People's Action Party, which won 77 of the 81 seats...
.
Senior Minister
Senior Minister
Senior Minister is a political office in the political system of Singapore taken by a prime minister or senior cabinet minister when he or she retires from that office, but still has something to offer the government based on his or her long experience...
Goh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong is the Senior Minister of Singapore and the chairman of the central bank of Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He also served as the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 28 November 1990 to 12 August 2004, succeeding Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime...
was tasked with the "special assignment" of helping Eric Low win Hougang in the 2006 general elections, along with Sitoh Yih Pin
Sitoh Yih Pin
Sitoh Yih Pin is a Singaporean politician from the Singapore People's Action Party. He is currently the Member of Parliament for the Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency .-Political career:...
, the PAP candidate for opposition-held Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency
Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency
Potong Pasir Single Member Constituency is a Single Member Constituency in the central region of Singapore.-Location:The SMC encompasses Potong Pasir, Lorong 8 Toa Payoh and Tannery...
. Low and Sitoh were promised more latitude in the Parliament and freedom from being subjected to the party whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
if he won Hougang SMC. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/198700/1/.html Despite this boost from the ruling party, Low still failed to secure a win in the general election.